Here comes another one. The text that follows was found under the digital cushion of my WordPress sofa… I originally wrote in July 2015 when I was reading the book. I tend to take notes as I go, tweeting some, sticking some in the barebones review post. I got as far as a list of stuff, but for some reason didn’t finish it or post it. As with Consider Phlebas, this is the raw notes, so glean something about the book, or see it as a spectacle of how I go about creating posts. Either way, enjoy 🙂
—- It is July 29th 2015 —-
Flowery descriptions
Wonderfully evocative descriptions of people, usually concentrating on the personality and qualities as much as the physical.
Good chapter names
1/2 way through and the book is turning into a list of people and events more than anything else. Lots of roles they didn’t know they needed even though they had successfully enticed every big name or business into the project.
But. It is immense!
My two main questions answered:
The design of the domes (p172/284)
The soil (p284)
Project management
The chapter “the big black box of dreams is almost an essay in its own right and the sparkling jewel if the book.
Tim charges governments to legislate for recycling like Germany. I see why, but this is at odds with the earlier ethos of the book to employer individual ownership and responsibility. In reality I agree that both these approaches are needed and the balance is the difference between the baby state and anarchy.
——–
Great book about a fantastic, exceptional wonder of the world and how it came to be.
Rating: 8/10